Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 2,802	$ 2,638
Cost of sales	1,639	1,558
Gross margin	1,163	1,080
Selling, general and administrative expenses	628	601
Research and development expenses	146	129
Other operating income, net	(20)	(33)
Operating income	409	383
Interest expense, net	21	18
Other (income) expense, net	10	(21)
Income before income taxes	378	386
Income tax expense	45	44
Net income	333	342
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	1	0
Net income attributable to Baxter stockholders	$ 332	$ 342
Earnings per share
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.67
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.64	$ 0.66
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding
Basic (in shares)	507	512
Diluted (in shares)	516	522